


Quiet Moments

by justhuman



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Episode: s05e22 Not Fade Away, F/M, Post Season 7, Watchers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-03-07
Updated: 2005-03-07
Packaged: 2017-10-29 09:31:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/318410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justhuman/pseuds/justhuman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The new Watcher's Council gets preliminary news of the happening in LA at the end of <i>Not Fade Away</i>. Faith has some questions, and Giles is there for her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quiet Moments

"Contrary to our intelligence that Angel was moved into the inner circles of Wolfram & Hart, he and his men appear to have staged a coup against the law firm's Senior Partners. This is, I might add, is orders of magnitude above the damage done in several years ago by the beast." Harris reported to the murmurs of the thirty odd assembled Watchers and slayers.

He continued. "The corporate headquarters has been leveled and there appears to be chaos among the demonic inhabitants in the city due to the power vacuum that has been created." The leather of his coat creaked for a moment before the board erupted in questions and suggestion.

 _"We'll have to inform Buffy right away."  
"Do we need to send in a task force to restore order?"  
"We _should_ send in a task force and make our own order."  
"Someone's got to tell Buffy."_

Voices echoed off the high walls covered with the portraits of dead men and women, looking too fancy and stiff.

"Are they dead?" Faith didn't raise her voice at first because she was trying. She never promised to try three times or any crap like that. " ** _I said,_** " silence filled the room, heads turning toward the end of the table where she was seated next to Giles. "Are they dead?"

"Two of them are vampires, Faith, the question is rather moot for them." Hearty chuckles from the older men mixed with a few giggles from the young women.

"Hey, Eddie," The older man winced. "You may not give a fuck about him, but Wesley's my watcher." Faith stood up, gently placing the palms of her hands on the polished mahogany table.

Edward Graham Peterson glared down his aristocratic snoz. "That was rather insulting to Mr. Giles, don't you think?"

"We've discussed this. We have all discussed this." Giles leaned forward in his chair.

"Over of millennium of tradition-"

"Of men using a woman as their throw away army." Brenda glared across the table. Faith liked her, liked her a lot. The fact of the matter was that Faith wasn't exactly the best choice for negotiating with the watchers. She was there for when diplomacy failed.

"He is not a your watcher; he's no longer a member of this esteemed company. But I'd like to know what happened to my son." Roger Wyndam-Pryce was using his best fatherly voice. Faith wondered if he actually gave a shit beyond adjusting his will.

The messenger cleared his throat. "The vampires, Angel and Spike, were last seen with Charles Gunn and a woman who has been identified as both Winifred Burkle and Old One known as Illyria; we're still sorting that. Their whereabouts and indeed whether they even survived is unknown. The destruction they left in their wake was...considerable." Harris pause and looked directly at Faith. "I regret to inform you that Wesley Wyndam-Pryce died at the hands of the sorcerer Vail. I know it will be of small consequence but the accounts say that they killed each other in battle."

"Wesley couldn't have killed a sorcerer like Vail." Roger muttered as he shifted in his chair, growing paler by the moment.

A hand clamped around Faith's wrist and that's when she noticed that her own hand had balled into a fist. Looking down, she saw Giles sitting calmly in his chair. "Ladies and gentlemen, I understand that there are mixed feelings in this matter. Perhaps it would be best for us to continue our role as observers for the near future and reconvene on the matter once Buffy and the others not here today can be informed."

"Giles-" Faith growled as heavy chairs were pushed back and the room echoed with invitations to lunch.

"Patience." Giles was standing behind her now, his hand still locked around her wrist. For a moment, Faith considered showing him what a futile move that was, how she could break free and break him in half. Giles didn't need to be shown; he knew and he risked a full on Faith explosion anyway. Faith tried to remind herself that she wasn't that person anymore.

Slowly the board members filed out, several of the patting Roger on the arm, unfortunate about his son, but after all considering the crowd he had chosen to keep company with...

On a normal day, Faith would be begging Giles to drop the decorum crap and touch her in front of them, do something more than squeeze her hand or a chaste peck on the check. Finally the door closed.

And when she took a moment to breathe, Faith realized that Giles was pressing up against her back, wrapping his arms around her, molding his body to hers like he was wrapping her in a living blanket. It was wrong, so wrong that it felt like a straitjacket.

"Look, they're gone now-just the two of us." His mouth was close to her ear.

"You know that I'm gonna explode any second, right?" Progress. She's giving warnings nowadays.

"I know that you want to, and I know that you won't. Do you want to know why?" Giles rocked them slowly.

Faith snorted and wasn't entirely sure if it was a laugh or a sob. "No, go for it."

"Because you're stronger than you ever give yourself credit for, and because you don't want to give any of those stuffed shirts who just left, fuel for their petty opinions."

"Like I give a shit." She tried to move, but the circle of his arms tightened. "We've done this before, huh?" Faith's voice was coming out in broken gasps.

She could feel his head nod. "First time was a few days after..."

Faith finished for him. "After Robin died. Sunnydale was the last town he ever saw."

"He gave his life for what he believed in."

Her spine stiffened. "Is that supposed to make me feel better."

Giles only responded by tightening the hug.

Faith let out another breath. "I bet in his own fucked up, Angel obsessed way, Wesley was doing what he thought was right, even when he if he was wrong. Speaking of fucked up and Angel obsessed, you should have let me go."

"Faith, we've been through this. You're still wanted in the United States. You wouldn't be in England right now if it wasn't for a modified passport."

"Still, Angel might be out there, might need me."

Giles sighed and laid a kiss on Faith's neck where it met her shoulder. " When we finish clearing up your prison paperwork."

Letting out a pent up breath, Faith leaned back. "Hitting Edward could make me feel better."

Giles snorted. "I think that might make all of us feel somewhat better, but in the long run, it won't bring him, any of them back. He also has powerful friends that we need."

Swallowing, Faith turned in Giles arms. "Are you mad at me?"

"For wanting to hit Edward? My dear girl, I could never-"

Pressing a finger to Giles lips, Faith shook her head. "For calling Wesley my watcher. I mean, he's really not but, well there was some pretty intense stuff between us."

"Faith, if this is somehow leading up to you saying that you're here with me because I'm a superior lover to a considerably younger man, go ahead." He said it without cracking a smile.

She couldn't help but laugh, which kinda helped because she was crying. "Hey! Some respect for the dead. Wesley and me, we never did it. Sure with all the torture, attempted murder and suicide missions, I know how you could have gotten the wrong impression."

Pushing his fingers into her thick hair, Giles pulled head to his chest, where concealed by her hair, Faith began to sob more freely. "That does sound very intimate."

Sliding her around him, Faith sniffed. "Kinda like our version of intimate better."

"How fortunate for both of us." Giles kissed the top of her head.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Lostgirlslair in the [Giles Ficathon](http://community.livejournal.com/giles_ficathon/). She requested a Faith pairing with Not too much angst and introspection on Giles' part, with no 'Ripper' written as a second personality or schmoop


End file.
